2012-13 Manitoba Bisons/CIS Thread

MANITOBA BISONS 2012-13

The Bisons announced their first batch of recruits today. Therefore, it is time to start a thread for next season. If you want a stroll down memory lane, check the 2011-12 Thread. The new players (click names for their Elite Prospects career stats) are:

Paul Ciarelli - centre - Brandon Wheat Kings
- After splitting time with the Blues (MJHL) and Wheat Kings (WHL), he played four full seasons for the Wheaties. He is coming off a 15 goal season.

Brock Sutherland - defence - Calgary Hitmen
- The already stacked Bison D did not really need another blue-chip prospect, but they got one anyway. I guess if the Bisons sign all the defencemen then nobody else will have any. He also split the 2007-08 season between the MJHL and WHL, only with Swan River and Lethbridge. He then spent most of his WHL career with Tri-City before being traded to Calgary during the 2011-12 campaign.

Aaron Lewadniuk - centre - Bakersfield Condors (ECHL)
- He notched 43 goals for Winkler (MJHL) in 2007-08 and then went to Omaha (USHL), Brandon (WHL) for two years, and then bounced around the ECHL for two more years.

Dylan Kelly - forward - Winnipeg Blues (MJHL)
- He is the sole non-WHL grad amongst those announced. He is coming off a 32 goal season for the Blues.

Tyler Wiwchar - defence - Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)
- He was not amongst the players announced. Elite Prospects has him as a November transfer. The MJHL announced him as a U of M student and scholarship winner. However, he continued to play for the Saints. Stay tuned.

AWARD-WINNING RETURNEES

Blair Macaulay and Jeremy Schappert won two awards each in 2011-12 and are coming back for another year. In the CW awards story Macaulay won the MVP and Schappert was the top defenceman. Then in the CIS awards story they were both named 2nd team all-stars.

GONE PRO

Travis Mealy went to the Tulsa Oilers (CHL) and Mike Hellyer went to the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) before going to the Texas Brahmas (CHL).

The CUP ran a story asking Is the University Cup format too short? IMO, no. However, it could be improved by adopting a straight knockout format.

The UBC Thunderbirds announced that they have signed Neil Manning from the Vancouver Giants.

The Evil Monkeys announced that they are going to the GM format. Head coach Stan Marple becomes GM and a new head coach is being sought. The story is also at Boxscore News.

The Regina Cougars announced that Todd Johnson will be their next coach. He comes over from Kootenay (WHL). The story is at the CW site and the CIS site.

The Urban Cowboys are down a coach as Clarke Singer is going on sabbatical.

UPDATE

The C.W. announced their schedule on June 13th. A pdf format schedule is out but has yet to be uploaded to the conference web site. But the Bisons schedule page has been updated. No non-conference games have been added. The release is also at Boxscore News and the CIS site. In addition to the Bisons, there were also news releases from UBC, Regina, Lethbridge, and Calgary.

The Bisons start the season in Edmontown against the Primates on Sept 28-29. Home games are:
Oct. 12-13 Saskatchewan
Nov. 9-10 Lethbridge
Nov. 23-24 Regina
Nov. 30-Dec 1 Alberta
Jan. 11-12 Mount Royal
Jan. 18-19 Calgary
Feb. 1-2 UBC
Feb. 15-17 Quarter-Finals (6 @ 3 and 5 @ 4)
Feb. 22-24 Semi-Finals
Mar. 1-3 Final

The Bisons and CJOB announced a partnership. Details are sketchy but it sounds like live radio coverage will be limited to football for now. Still, coverage is a good thing. There have been no announcements of further recruits to those announced on May 9th. But the rumour mill includes:

Corbin Baldwin - defenceman - Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
- He's a 6'5" defenceman with four years in the WHL behind him. He would be another solid addition to the defence core.

Jason Henry - left wing - Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
- Most of his WHL career was with the Vancouver Giants. Last season he combined for 16 goals and 71 points split between Vancouver and Moose Jaw. His high was 21 goals. So two good forward recruits, but they could really use a centre.

Jesse Paradis - left wing - Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
- With the team seemingly building another solid blueline, a few good forwards are in order. Paradis had 15 goals and 49 points for the Blades, so while not a sniper he should add some skill up front. The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix has a story on this:

"We keep tabs of our Manitoba players that have left our province to play in the Western Hockey League,” Sirant said, noting he first approached Blades head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken about Paradis in December.

“As Lorne agreed, we both thought he did a real good job with the Blades. Jesse’s a solid player. He’s a hard-working guy that is a good two-way forward.”

Paradis was picked up off of waivers by the Blades last September after being released by the Moose Jaw Warriors just before the start of the season.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound left-winger set career highs with 15 goals and 49 points while playing in all 72 games. He was named the Blades’ most sportsmanlike player after registering 32 penalty minutes.

Paradis was key member of the team’s penalty kill and was counted on defensively.

Sirant believes Paradis’s “versatility” will allow him to compete for third- and fourth-line minutes.

“All players coming from the Western league, it’s an adjustment coming into Canada West,” he said. “We expect Jesse to make that transition and make a good contribution for us in his first year.”

The university will welcome Paradis into the fold next week when its recruitment class is officially released.

The Tweety-Birds have had three announcements covering four new recruits: Joe Antilla from the Kootenay Ice (WHL), Linden Saip and Jessi Hilton (from Surrey of the BCJHL and Sherwood Park of the AJHL respectively), and Dillon Wagner from the Seattle Tweety-Birds (WHL).

The Evil Monkeys announced that their new head organ grinder is Ian Herbers, formerly of the Milwaukee Admirals. The Boxscore News, CIS Site, and the C.W. Site also have the story.

The H0rny Ones announced the recruiting of three WHL grads: goaltender Damien Ketlo (Lethbridge Hurricanes) and defencemen Cason Machacek (Seattle Thunderbirds) and Hayden Rintoul (Victoria Royals).

Also, the OUA announced their schedule.

The Bisons announced three more recruits, all of whom are Manitoba boys:

Craig Scott - forward - Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)
- He's a smaller forward who's best numbers came in the Saints' unlikely playoff run this spring (21 points in 16 games). I had not heard his name mentioned.

Jason Henry - left wing - Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
- He was reported in my last post and has now been confirmed.

Deven Dubyk - goaltender - Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
- There is no doubt that Dubyk is a quality prospect. But with Joe Caligiuri and Mark Friesen returning there is quite a crowd in the Bison goal. My guess is that one will be a #3 whilst the other two split duties.

UPDATE

The Bisons confirmed that two more players named in my June 15th post have committed, namely Corbin Baldwin and Jesse Paradis. This gives the Bisons 24 recruits and returning players by my count. The team site's roster page has taken down the 2011-12 roster but has yet to upload the 2012-13 roster, so maybe check back later today.

The CW's schedule and results page has not been updated so as to include non-conference/exhibition/pre-season games since the league schedule was released. However, various teams (not including the Bisons) do have some games added. Regina and Alberta give us this:
Sept 4 Alberta @ Augustana
Sept 6 Augustana @ Alberta
Sept 7 Alberta @ Calgary
Sept 8 Calgary @ Alberta
Sept 14 Tournament at Regina
Sept 14 SAIT @ Alberta
Sept 15 Alberta @ SAIT
Sept 21-22 Brick Invitational at Edmonton
Sept 21 Regina @ Manitoba (7:00 pm)
Sept 22 Regina @ Manitoba (2:00 pm)

UBC continues to add new names with the announcement that they have a commitment from Scott McDonald, a WHL grad who finished his junior career in the USHL.

The Evil Monkeys announced that Brett Ferguson is going to the Greasers camp, assuming they have one. Still no announcements of recruits from them, nor from Bedrock nor Saskatown for that matter.

Maybe there are no players left in Alberta after St. F-X did their recruiting. Boxscore News reports a recruiting class of one Ontarioer and five Saudi Albertans for the Ron Jeremys.

The BCIHL has a nice player commitments page, which all leagues should have at this time of year. Selkirk College has 18 new players. Really. They were 5-19 last year but that's a lot of new guys. The league also announced a new playoff format. Up to now they had a 5-team page style tournament. They will still have 5 teams in the playoffs but will have best-of-three series now.

The ACAC announced that the Red Deer College Kings will be rejoining their league in 2013-14. They folded in 2004.

SUMMER NEWS

The Bisons have not announced any exhibition games yet. However, both the North Dakota and Bemdiji State schedule pages have the Bisons listed as opponents on the weekend of October 6-7. Since North Dakota can no longer use the Fighting Sioux moniker they have to revert to a letters-only logo for now. But since everybody likes beavers the Bemdiji logo is staying put.

Also, the UBC schedule page has a home-and-home series with Simon Fraser listed for September 21-22. They played at the Christmas break last year. The Tweety-Birds will also scoot down to Denver for 3 games in 3 days against Denver, Colorado College, and Air Force. Calgary used to make a trip like that.

The regular season will start on September 27-29. Adding the foregoing to the stuff I gathered last time from Regina and Alberta and we now have this exhibition schedule:

Sept 4 Alberta @ Augustana
Sept 6 Augustana @ Alberta
Sept 7 Alberta @ Calgary
Sept 8 Calgary @ Alberta
Sept 14 Tournament at Regina - teams tba
Sept 14 SAIT @ Alberta
Sept 15 Alberta @ SAIT
Sept 21-22 Brick Invitational at Edmonton - teams tba
Sept 21 Regina @ Manitoba (7:00 pm)
Sept 21 Simon Fraser @ UBC
Sept 22 Regina @ Manitoba (2:00 pm)
Sept 22 UBC @ Simon Fraser
Oct 6 Manitoba @ North Dakota (time tba)
Oct 6 UBC @ Denver
Oct 7 Manitoba @ Bemidji State (5:07 pm)
Oct 7 UBC @ Colorado College
Oct 8 UBC @ Air Force

Last season's rumours about Laurentian getting back into hockey have been confirmed in both the CIS and OUA websites.

The Jets signed UNB grad Hunter Tremblay for the Ice Caps. He was with the Oklahoma City Barons in the Oiler system last year.

Bison all-star Blair Macaulay has been announced as an invitee to the Jets' development camp. The players hit the ice Monday and continue all week at the Iceplex. Apparently they had 500 fans this afternoon. Maybe the camp will help him improve on his 23 goals in 28 games in 2011-12!
Macaulay at the Max Bell.

The Evil Monkey's announced a couple of new primates have been recruited. The story is also at The Boxscore News. The two feces-throwing sub-humans recruited are Rhett Rachinski (a forward) and Brennan Yadlowski (a defenceman). No word yet on their other recruits.
This monkey won't turn evil until he gets his stupid yellow hat.

The Regina schedule has added a pair of games way up north in Alaska on the weekend of October 5th-6th. Now there's a trip. So here is the updated exhibition schedule:

Sept 4 Alberta @ Augustana
Sept 6 Augustana @ Alberta
Sept 7 Alberta @ Calgary
Sept 8 Calgary @ Alberta
Sept 14 Tournament at Regina - teams tba
Sept 14 SAIT @ Alberta
Sept 15 Alberta @ SAIT
Sept 21-22 Brick Invitational at Edmonton - teams tba
Sept 21 Regina @ Manitoba (7:00 pm)
Sept 21 Simon Fraser @ UBC
Sept 22 Regina @ Manitoba (2:00 pm)
Sept 22 UBC @ Simon Fraser
Oct 5 Regina @ Alaska Fairbanks
Oct 6 Manitoba @ North Dakota (time tba)
Oct 6 UBC @ Denver
Oct 6 Regina @ Alaska Anchorage
Oct 7 Manitoba @ Bemidji State (5:07 pm)
Oct 7 UBC @ Colorado College
Oct 8 UBC @ Air Force

There is not a whole lot of new news out there. Saskatchewan and Calgary have nothing at all to say for themselves. I thought Sask would be pounding the drums for their hosting of the University Cup. Anyhow, when I searched for news I did find some more pre-season scheduling and a smattering of recruits. Here's what's out there:

The Manitoban has a follow-up story on Blair Macaulay's invite to the Jets' development camp.

[Coach] Sirant had the opportunity to watch part of the camp over the week, and felt Macaulay did well representing the U of M men’s hockey program. He is also pleased that True North has continued to support the Bisons after years of support when the Moose were in town.

“It’s very important for our program to have a strong relationship with the Jets. We had it before with the initial version of the Jets and then with the Moose. It’s great that this relationship is continuing.”

Maybe the Jets could have a prospects lineup face the Bisons in future years. Back when I was a student they once had a mini-tournament with Jets Blue, Jets White, and the Bisons. Of course, the Bisons were in over their heads facing a half-NHL and half-AHL squad in each game. But it drew lots of fans.

With the Bisons heading down to UND for another game, it is worth looking back at the highlights of their last trip to The Ralph in 2010. Maybe one year UND or another NCAA team will actually come here for a game. They do come for basketball. CLICK

The H0rny Ones announced recruits from Ontariariario. They landed a pair of OHL/Junior "A" blueliners, Tim Campbell and David McMullen.

Yet another announcement comes out of British California. The Tweety Birds announced that they have landed Kevin Smith who, like the Lethbridge recruits, split time between Major Junior and Junior "A" last year. He played for the WHL's Kelowna Rockets and the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies. The story is also in The Boxscore News.

The Calgary Sun has a story on Mount Royal's ascendancy to the CIS this year.

With Mount Royal receiving designation as a university in 2009, Cougars men’s hockey head coach Jean Laforest thinks the move to the top league in the country populated by all the major universities is a natural fit.

“It’s only natural that athletics follow suit,” Laforest said. “Now, that’s become reality officially.”

With the move being announced well before last season, staying focused on the ACAC season was tough in 2011.

“(The move) was definitely in the discussion around the table at all of our athletic meetings (last year),” Laforest said. “It was funny at times, because we obviously wanted to stay focused on the current season, but we were always looking forward to the next season. It was tough not to look too far ahead.

“At times, I think it was difficult to focus on the task at hand, knowing that this was upcoming, but I think we did a great job because if you look at the results across the board, all the coaches I thought had great seasons.”

They also added exhibition games to their schedule page.

I did find a link at USCHO.com which has all of the CIS exhibition games against NCAA teams listed. So when adding those to the Mount Royal updates, here is the updated exhibition schedule:

Sept 4 Alberta @ Augustana
Sept 6 Augustana @ Alberta
Sept 7 Alberta @ Calgary
Sept 8 Calgary @ Alberta
Sept 12 Calgary @ Mount Royal
Sept 14 Tournament at Regina - teams tba
Sept 14 SAIT @ Alberta
Sept 14 Lethbridge @ Mount Royal
Sept 15 Alberta @ SAIT
Sept 19 Mount Royal @ Calgary
Sept 21-22 Brick Invitational at Edmonton - teams tba
Sept 21 Regina @ Manitoba (7:00 pm)
Sept 21 Simon Fraser @ UBC
Sept 22 Regina @ Manitoba (2:00 pm)
Sept 22 Mount Royal @ Alberta
Sept 22 UBC @ Simon Fraser
Oct 5 Regina @ Alaska Fairbanks
Oct 6 Manitoba @ North Dakota (7:05 pm)
Oct 6 UBC @ Denver
Oct 6 Regina @ Alaska Anchorage
Oct 6 Lethbridge @ Minnesota
Oct 7 Manitoba @ Bemidji State (5:07 pm)
Oct 7 UBC @ Colorado College
Oct 7 Lethbridge @ Minnesota State
Oct 8 UBC @ Air Force
Oct 8 Lethbridge @ Nebraska-Omaha

The Bison schedule page confirms the games previously noted by Regina, North Dakota, and Bemidji. It also adds that they will visit Regina for their tournament on September 14-15.

The UBC schedule page has added that they will play an opponent TBD on December 28-29. Last year they played Simon Fraser at that time, but will face them in the pre-season this time. The schedule says the games will be played at Burnaby. So maybe it's a tournament with all the local teams? None of the BCIHL teams have schedule pages launched.

Three CIS schools (McMaster, Bishop's and Trent) play for a Challenge Cup against club teams from various Ontario colleges. The OCCCR handles rec sports and now runs a series of tournaments in lieu of a regular season. The top 12 compete for the Challenge Cup at the end of the year. The games are non-contact. It is all covered at The Ontario College Hockey News. There was also a game last year where Bishop's beat McMaster 5-2. It seems that this is a long way away from CIS competition, and not at all like the ACAC or BCIHL. Hopefully a college league will be formed once again for Ontario and Quebec.

Still nothing updated on the Sask site. And Calgary's only information comes from other sites. Here is the updated exhibition schedule:

Sept 4
Alberta at Augustana

Sept 6
Augustana at Alberta

Sept 7
Alberta at Calgary

Sept 8
Calgary at Alberta

Sept 12
Calgary at Mount Royal

Sept 14
Tournament at Regina - teams Regina, Manitoba, and tba
SAIT at Alberta
Lethbridge at Mount Royal

Sept 15
Tournament at Regina - teams Regina, Manitoba, and tba
Alberta at SAIT

Sept 19
Mount Royal at Calgary

Sept 21
Brick Invitational at Edmonton - teams tba
Regina at Manitoba (7:00 pm)
Simon Fraser at UBC

Sept 22
Brick Invitational at Edmonton - teams tba
Regina at Manitoba (2:00 pm)
Mount Royal at Alberta
UBC at Simon Fraser

Sept 27
*Calgary at Lethbridge

Sept 28
*Manitoba at Alberta
*Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
*UBC at Regina
*Lethbridge at Calgary

Sept 29
*Manitoba at Alberta
*Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
*UBC at Regina

Oct 5
Regina at Alaska Fairbanks

Oct 6
Manitoba at North Dakota (7:05 pm)
Lethbridge at Minnesota
UBC at Denver
Regina at Alaska Anchorage

Oct 7
Manitoba at Bemidji State (5:07 pm)
Lethbridge at Minnesota State
UBC at Colorado College

Oct 8
Lethbridge at Nebraska-Omaha
UBC at Air Force

* indicates CW regular season game

There is not much happening on the pre-season scheduling front. But there is a smattering of recruiting news and other stories since my last post.

The Mount Royal Cougars announced their recruiting class. Included are four WHL grads, forwards Michael Burns (Saskatoon), Spencer Asuchak (Prince George), Nathan MacMaster (Tri-City), and Scott McKay (Medicine Hat). Forward Matthew Brown (Cowichan Valley - BCHL) also previously played for Moncton and Quebec of the QMJHL. They also landed 6 Junior "A" grads: defencemen Billy Marshall (Merritt - BCHL) and Dominic Perrault (Estevan - SJHL) and forwards Devin Gannon (Cowichan Valley - BCHL), Matt Ius (Langley - BCHL), Jeremy Burns (Brooks - AJHL), and Riley Reinbolt (Spruce Grove - AJHL). That's a lot of turnover.

The Banjo-Mutts announced that their games against the Evil Monkeys on Octiber 19th and 20th will be at the CUC, site of the national championships.

The UBC site announced that former coach and Canada Nats player Bob Hindmarch is going to the BC Hockey Hall of Fame. Here's a quip:

Hindmarch helped establish the Canadian National Men's team that was based at UBC and became its General Manager and Assistant Coach. The squad was eventually awarded a bronze medal for its third place finish at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics.

Hindmarch then became the head coach of UBC's varsity team, a position he held for 12 seasons. His 214 victories is the most for any Thunderbirds hockey coach and his 1971 Canada West championship squad remains the last UBC team to host a playoff series at home.

The Nats started at UBC but then, of course, moved to Winnipeg.

There is still no announcement from the Banjo-Cats on recruits. But the MJHL announced that Paul Bonar from the Winnipeg Blues is on his way to Regina. Just in time to celebrate Regina's 3rd anniversary of colour TV!

The Evil Monkeys announced, yet again, open tryouts. But still only two actual recruits. At least they have a full pre-season schedule posted. Of note, we still await word from Calgary and Sask.

On August 2nd the BCIHL issued a Press Release to announce that the Okanagan College Coyotes have folded. Then on August 3rd they announced their league schedule. There was no detail about any further non-conference games against CIS teams. The timing is odd, to say the least. The Coyotes had already announced 6 recruites. There is also a story about this at Castanet.net. The team website has no announcement yet, but here's what Castanet says:

Okanagan College and the Coyotes struck an agreement in 2009, which would allow the hockey team to compete as a club with the use of the College name. The Coyotes management envisioned increased support from the College once the program could prove its worth and experience some success. The hope was OC would eventually support athletics and provide some financial backing. Unfortunately the club was never backed as hoped, ultimately leading to the end of the program. ...

The Coyotes entered the BCIHL in 2009 and compiled a record of 40-25-9 during regular season play. The team qualified for the playoffs each of their three seasons, advancing to the league semi-finals twice in three years. ...

Okanagan College players collected a number of individual awards and honors over the past three years and recently saw their first player – 2011/12 team captain Dave Mann – sign a professional contract.

So what is their excuse for waiting this long and for recruiting players to a non-existent team? Makes no sense.

The Nipissing Lakers of the OUA have announced an extension of their agreement to stay put.

The ACAC has had three off-season stories, about Augustana's recruits, former NAIT coaches (including Perry Pearn who signe with the Jets), and the signings of the new Keyano College team.

Want all updated CIS links? CLICK

Neither the CIS nor the CW sites have anything new to report, and neither have complied a pre-season schedule as they normally do. Also, there have been no announcements of recruits for the Banjo-Mutts and precious few from Bedrock or the Evil Monkeys.

The Manitoba Bison season ticket page still links to the 2011-12 order form. Whether this means they are not raising prices or just haven't gotten around to it I don't know. In on-ice news, Turning Point Management announced that Corbin Baldwin signed an AHL deal with the Houston Aeros (affiliate of the Minnesota Wild) following a rookie camp. HockeyFights.com has a section for him.

The Camrose Canadian has a preview of the Augustana Vikings' home-and-home series with the Evil Monkeys.

The first game will start at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 4 in Camrose at the Encana arena, with the two teams playing again two days later in Edmonton.

The men's hockey team, which features 21 returnees, will have a good shot at repeating as champions this season.

“We are built to challenge again and that has been my goal from day one,” said head coach Blaine Gusdal. “Win or lose...we want to be in the mix. And we know that we are in the mix going into the season.”

Gusdal thinks that playing a team that competes at a higher level to start the season will be a good way to start the season.

The Regina tournament has now been confirmed and the ACAC site has confirmed a SAIT-Lethbridge match-up. I doubt that this will change now, unless sme teams add games for September 7th and 8th. So there will be no games between CW and AUS or OUA teams. Here's the new schedule:

Sept 4
Alberta at Augustana

Sept 6
Augustana at Alberta

Sept 7
Alberta at Calgary

Sept 8
Calgary at Alberta

Sept 12
Calgary at Mount Royal

Sept 14
Manitoba v Saskatchewan (Regina Tournament)
SAIT at Alberta
Lethbridge at Mount Royal

Sept 15
Manitoba at Regina (Regina Tournament)
Alberta at SAIT

Sept 16
Saskatchewan at Regina (Regina Tournament)

Sept 19
Mount Royal at Calgary

Sept 21
Regina at Manitoba (7:00 pm)
Saskatchewan at Alberta (Brick Invitational)
Calgary v Mount Royal (Brick Invitational - to be confirmed)
Simon Fraser at UBC

Sept 22
Regina at Manitoba (2:00 pm)
Saskatchewan v Calgary (Brick Invitational)
Mount Royal at Alberta (Brick Invitational)
UBC at Simon Fraser
SAIT at Lethbridge

Sept 27
*Calgary at Lethbridge

Sept 28
*Manitoba at Alberta
*Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
*UBC at Regina
*Lethbridge at Calgary

Sept 29
*Manitoba at Alberta
*Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
*UBC at Regina

Oct 5
Regina at Alaska Fairbanks

Oct 6
Manitoba at North Dakota (7:05 pm)
Lethbridge at Minnesota
UBC at Denver
Regina at Alaska Anchorage

Oct 7
Manitoba at Bemidji State (5:07 pm)
Lethbridge at Minnesota State
UBC at Colorado College

Oct 8
Lethbridge at Nebraska-Omaha
UBC at Air Force

* indicates CW regular season game

The only new story from Bisonland is that former captain Mike Hellyer has signed with the Quad City Mallards of the CHL. Their coach is former Jet Terry Ruskowski. Hellyer went to the Texas Brahmas for last season's playoffs and scored 3 playoff goals, including 2 game winners.

The Thunderbirds announced yet another recruit, namely Brad Hoban from Swift Current of the WHL. The story is also at The Boxscore News.

Still no more news on new recruits for the Evil Monkeys, but they did announce a 100th anniversary dinner. The menu is bound to feature bananas.

The Waterloo Warriors announced a recruiting class which included Paul Bonar, a former Winnipeg Blue formerly announced as a Regina Cougar recruit.

The Ryerson Rams are moving into what was Maple Leaf Gardens, now redesigned and dubbed the Mattamy Athletic Centre. The new hockey arena is on the 3rd floor.


The ACAC site's current main page makes note of the SAIT "Eye Opener" tournament on September 28-29 where the SAIT Trojans and MacEwan Griffins from the ACAC will each face the Trinity Western Spartans and the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack from the BCIHL. Those will be interesting match-ups to see how the leagues compare.

The announcements of new recruits are now down to a trickle. So in looking for a summary, I plucked this from Elite Prospects:

MANITOBA BISONS
06/20/2012 James Henry (F) Moose Jaw Warriors
06/20/2012 Craig Scott (F) Winnipeg Saints
06/20/2012 Deven Dubyk (G) Red Deer Rebels
06/15/2012 Jesse Paradis (F) Saskatoon Blades
05/09/2012 Dylan Kelly (F) Winnipeg Blues
05/09/2012 Brock Sutherland (D) Calgary Hitmen
05/09/2012 Paul Ciarelli (C) Brandon Wheat Kings
05/09/2012 Aaron Lewadniuk (C) Bakersfield Condors

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES
07/13/2012 Brandon Herrod (F) Kamloops Blazers
04/25/2012 Jesse Ross (F) Weyburn Red Wings
03/15/2012 Shayne Neigum (F) Ontario Reign

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS
07/10/2012 Brennan Yadlowski (D) Colorado Eagles
07/10/2012 Rhett Rachinski (F) Edmonton Oil Kings

CALGARY DINOS
none

departures:
07/16/2012 Teigan Zahn (D) to Oklahoma City Barons
05/25/2012 David Robinson (F) to Retired

UBC THUNDERBIRDS
07/15/2012 Kevin Smith (D) Victoria Grizzlies
06/22/2012 Scott MacDonald (F) Waterloo Black Hawks
06/07/2012 Dillon Wagner (F) Seattle Thunderbirds
05/18/2012 Joe Antilla (F) Kootenay Ice
05/16/2012 Linden Saip (D) Surrey Eagles
05/01/2012 Neil Manning (D) Vancouver Giants
04/28/2012 Jessi Hilton (F) Sherwood Park Crusaders

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS
08/24/2012 Chase Schaber (F) Kamloops Blazers
07/07/2012 Tim Campbell (D) Woodstock Slammers
06/07/2012 Damien Ketlo (G) Colorado Eagles
06/07/2012 Cason Machacek (D) Seattle Thunderbirds
06/07/2012 Hayden Rintoul (D) Victoria Royals
01/24/2012 David McMullen (D) Kingston Voyageurs

REGINA COUGARS
06/01/2012 Mitch Kilgore (G) Weyburn Red Wings
05/25/2012 Ward Szucki (F) Winkler Flyers

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS
08/01/2012 Riley Reinbolt (F) Spruce Grove Saints
08/01/2012 Matthew Ius (F) Portland Winter Hawks
08/01/2012 Matthew Brown (F) Wichita Thunder
08/01/2012 Scott McKay (D) Medicine Hat Tigers
08/01/2012 Nathan MacMaster (F) Tri-City Americans
08/01/2012 Spencer Asuchak (F) Prince George Cougars
08/01/2012 Michael Burns (F) Saskatoon Blades
07/06/2012 Dominic Perrault (D) Estevan Bruins

The Bison roster page now lists 16 players (8 with numbers assigned). It is being updated gradually. Just this morning there were only 14 names. The new names not previously announced are:

Nathan Green - centre - Acadia Axemen (AUS)
- He red-shirted in 2011-12 and would now be eligible as a 2nd year. He finished his WHL career with a season in Red Deer after being with Brandon for three years. His peak was a 24 goal season. He must have been hurt when with Red Deer in 2010, as he played only 27 games. In Brandon's 2009 playoff run he notched 7 goals in 12 games.

Tyler Feakes - right wing - Lethbridge Pronghorns (AUS)
- He is another red-shirt, having played 3 seasons for Lethbridge which followed one with NAIT in the ACAC. So he has one year of eligibility left. That followed his junior days where he split 2002-03 and 2003-04 between the AJHL and the WHL, followed by a 2004-05 WHL season split between Swift Current and Prince George. He then finished with two seasons with Humboldt in the SJHL. He has 15 goals in 79 CIS games.

Lee Christensen - defence - Melville Millionaires (SJHL)
- He is a Junior "A" grad and one of those rare CIS prospects who lists the dear departed Beausejour Blades on his career resume, albeit for only 3 games. Although he finished with Melville, he had two prior seasons with the Melfort Mustangs.

Jeff Borse - forward - Winnipeg Blue (MJHL)
- He is another Junior "A" grad, but from the local ranks. He has some scoring touch (20 and 23 goals the last 2 years) and had 5 goals in 10 playoff games last year.

The only other CW team with a 2012-13 roster page uploaded so far is the Regina Cougars. However, they have not listed any first year players. They have 20 players listed, plus 5th year Ryan Sawka as a red shirt.

The Bison roster page has one more addition to the training camp roster:

Brett Chartier - forward - Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)
- He is another 5' 9" forward with some scoring touch at the Junior "A" level. In 2007-08 he started with the Saints and also played on Team Western U17. After a couple of years in the USHL he returned for 2 1/2 years with the Saints. Last season he had 33 goals in 52 games, plus another 7 in 16 playoff games.

The Bison roster page keeps adding a name or two to the training camp roster every day. Today there is a new name:

Luke Cain - right wing - Union College (NCAA)
- This is a Thunder Bay lad who played Junior "A" in BC and then went to Union College before sitting out last season. Elite Prospects has him listed as a Lakehead recruit. I don't know what happened here, except that he is listed as a 4th year. I don't know the eligibility rule, but he had parts of four seasons at Union. So I will want to know how that works.

The CIS pdf Composite Schedule is now up. One note is that UBC will play Arizona State and Oklahoma State on Dec 28-29. I believe that those teams play in the ACHA which is club level and a long way away from CIS competition. When Iowa State played the Bisons a couple of years ago it was sad. It was like a little Bantam A team playing a big Midget AAA team. Anyhow, here is the whole pre-season CW pre-season schedule:

Sept 4
Alberta at Augustana

Sept 6
Augustana at Alberta

Sept 7
Alberta at Calgary

Sept 9
Alberta v Calgary (at Banff)

Sept 12
Calgary at Mount Royal

Sept 14
Briercrest at Regina
SAIT at Alberta
Manitoba v Saskatchewan (Regina Tournament)
Lethbridge at Mount Royal

Sept 15
Manitoba at Regina (Regina Tournament)
Calgary at Lethbridge
Alberta at SAIT

Sept 16
Saskatchewan at Regina (Regina Tournament)

Sept 19
Mount Royal at Calgary (Brick Invitational)

Sept 21
Regina at Manitoba
Saskatchewan at Alberta (Brick Invitational at Edmonton)
Simon Fraser at UBC

Sept 22
Regina at Manitoba
Saskatchewan v Calgary (Brick Invitational at Edmonton)
Mount Royal at Alberta (Brick Invitational at Edmonton)
Lethbridge at SAIT
UBC at Simon Fraser

Sept 27
*Calgary at Lethbridge

Sept 28
*Manitoba at Alberta
*Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
*UBC at Regina
*Lethbridge at Calgary

Sept 29
*Manitoba at Alberta
*Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
*UBC at Regina

Oct 5
Regina at Alaska Fairbanks

Oct 6
Manitoba at North Dakota
Lethbridge at Minnesota
UBC at Denver
Regina at Alaska Anchorage

Oct 7
Manitoba at Bemidji State
Lethbridge at Minnesota State
UBC at Colorado College

Oct 8
Lethbridge at Nebraska-Omaha
UBC at Air Force

* regular season games

The Bison roster page kept getting updates on Labour Day and today's new name is:

Blair Osiowy - defence - Winnipeg Blues (MJHL)
- This is another Junior "A" grad and training camp addition. He played for the Blues last year but previously played for the Winkler Flyers.

It looks like quite a crowd of players will be at camp this week. With the names announced earlier and the ones that have popped up recently, here's the new list of possible Bisons:

Forwards (19)

Returning Players (
Blair Macaulay
Tyler Dittmer
Ian Duval
Matthew Lowry
Del Cowan
Brendan Rowinski
Darren Bestland
Austin Lauder

Recruits (11)
Paul Ciarelli
Dylan Kelly
Aaron Lewadniuk (red shirting)
Jesse Paradis
James Henry
Nathan Green
Craig Scott
Tyler Feakes
Jeff Borse
Brett Chartier
Luke Cain

Defencemen (

Returning Players (5)
Jeremy Schappert
Dane Crowley
Tyler Schmidt
Travis Bobbee
Brandon Lockerby

Recruits (3)
Brock Sutherland
Lee Christensen
Blair Osiowy

Goaltenders (3)

Returning Players (2)
Joe Caligiuri
Mark Friesen

Recruits (1)
Deven Dubyk

A Google news update advises me of a Saskatoon Star-Phoenix story about the Banjo-Mutts. First, they are spending money on renovations.

On the eve of what will mark the official start to training camp, the sound of an air compressor and nail gun roared in the upper floor of Rutherford Rink late Monday afternoon.

Yet another upgrade to the old rink, believe it or not.

This time, a players' lounge and athletic therapist room are being constructed above the dressing room of the reigning Canada West champion University of Saskatchewan men's hockey team.

Not sure if this is good news, for Sask or anybody else. The hope has been around for years that they would tear down the Rutheredsel and build something befitting the 80's, at least. I thought the Rutheredsel was condemned? Will crap still fall off the ceiling during games?

On the ice, they finally announced a new litter of mangy puppies. The only source is the aforementioned news link. There is as yet nothing from the team. Here's a summary:

Players:
Jimmy Bubnick (Calgary Hitmen - WHL)
Brandon Herrod (Prince Albert Raiders and Kamloops Blazers - WHL)
Kenton Dulle (St. Thomas Tommies - AUS, via Kamloops Blazers - WHL)
Jordan Peddle (Edmonton Oil Kings - WHL)
Marc-Andre Carre (La Ronge Ice Wolves - SJHL)
Andy Blanke (Swift Current Broncos - WHL)
Jesse Ross (Weyburn Red Wings - SJHL)
Ryan MacDonald (Lakehead Thunderwolves - OUA - redshirt)

Departures confirmed:
Kyle Ross
Shaun Vey
Travis Brisebois

Injured:
Brennan Bosch - knee scoped today
Kyle Bortis - appendix

My nightly check of the Bison roster page had one new name to report, but not from a new recruit. Goaltender Jesse Deckert is once again in the picture. He has no listed stats at Elite Prospects from having played for the H0rny Ones. I even double-checked his stats at Hockey DB, and nothing from Lethbridge there, either. Has Big Brother amended the history of mankind? Or has Lethbridge been retroactively deleted from the Internet? Or did one stat site follow the other and just leave out one year of stats? I have not seen Mark Friesen's name yet. Caligiuri and Dubyk are already on the roster page, and four goaltenders is too many. Friesen was used sparingly as a 1st year 3rd stringer, but he did have a WHL background. Maybe I could find time to spy on a Bison practice this week to see who all is back.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6
AUGUSTANA VIKINGS 1

There were Twitter updates from Augustana @UofA_AugVikings and from the Monkeys at @BearsandPandas. Those might lead to summaries etc. So far, all I have is the score. It might be worth checking the Augustana and Alberta hockey team pages for more information.

BTW, Augustana won the ACAC last season. The teams have a rematch Thursday in Edmontown.

The Bison roster page is now up to 23 players, but the only names added today were for returning players. There are still several names to add.

There is some more information about the pre-season curtain-raiser. There is an Augustana Game Story and a scoreline at the Alberta site. This wraps it all up:

Barron Smith opened the scoring for the Golden Bears at 14:38, and was quickly followed by Alberta’s Rhett Rachinski less than two minutes later. The Vikings answered back 70 seconds later to bring the game within one, from a goal from Viking Scott Aucoin.

The second period saw the Vikings take control for the first half of the period and keep it a close game, but the Golden Bears fought back hard in the last half of the period and come back with two big goals once again less than two minutes apart coming from handsome & intelligent gom Rodgers and Ben Lindemulder.

The third period saw the Golden Bears find another two goals from James Debrowolski, and Levko Koper, to finish the game with a 6-1 victory over the hometown Augustana Vikings.

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix has another profile story, this one on Kenton Dulle. He red-shirted last season as a transfer from St. Thomas. I guess if you are dull you belong in Sask!

It appears that daily updates of the Bison roster page have ceased for now. There are still many returnees who have yet to be added.


AUGUSTANA VIKINGS 1
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 5

I was able to get Twitter updates from the Monkeys at @BearsandPandas. It states that the shots on goal were 48-9 in favour of the Monkeys. I suspect that update stories and/or stats will be at either or both of the Augustana and Alberta hockey team pages, perhaps as you read this post!


WATERLOO WARRIORS 1
LAUSITZER FUCHSE 7

Links: [Summary - Google Translate] : [Waterloo Site]

Last year the Bisons went to Germany, Italy, and Austria for a pre-season junket and this year it is Waterloo's turn. The Foxes did them in on Thursday. Check the Waterloo link for what I hope will be an update.

WEEKEND GAMES

It seems that the Evil Monkeys are anxious to start the season. Most teams are just starting camp, but they'll have four games by the end of the weekend.

Sept 7
Alberta at Calgary

Sept 8
Waterloo at Landshut Cannibals
UOIT at Ryerson

Sept 9
Waterloo at Bietigheim Bissingen
Alberta v Calgary (at Banff)

CALGARY DINOS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3

Not much about this one other than the score. I guess this will serve as consolation for the Evil Monkeys since they lost the football Battle of Saudi Alberta 65-6 to the Bedrock Boys.

The Bedrock roster page still lists the 2011-12 squad. The same can be said for the Monkeys. But they have added a mini boxscore for their second win over Augustana. So as you read there might be something there for you.

In other Monkey news, they have recruited Burke Gallimore, a WHL grad from Saskatoon and Seattle. The story is also at the Boxscore News.

So another light night in the CIS, since camp has just started. But the games were not typical pre-season fare.


WATERLOO WARRIORS 5
LANDSHUT CANNIBALS 3

Links: [Summary] : [Waterloo Site]

After a whipping in game one of the tour, Waterloo leveled their record by eating up the Cannibals. The rubber match goes Sunday against Bietigheim Bissingen as their tour concludes.


UOIT RIDGEBACKS 4
RYERSON RAMS 5

Links: [Ryerson Twitter] : [Ryerson Site]

This was a rather insignificant game between two mediocre teams, but for the fact that it was the first game in the remodeled Maple Leaf Gardens. Check out the above Twitter and team site links for pictures. Here are a couple:

Waterloo wrapped up their junket and the Battle of Saudi Alberta ends as it started. Now we can look ahead to a busy week, at least for most CW and OUA teams.


WATERLOO WARRIORS 3
BIETIGHEIM BISSINGEN STEELERS 7

Links:
|> [Game Story - Google Translate] : [Waterloo Site]

I was unable to locate a summary but did get the game story. Maybe you can find a link for a summary from that. The Waterloo team site may have something posted once they return to their beloved Canadian soil. So Waterloo is off to a 1-2 start. They did not fare as well as Manitoba did last year. But a win over a pro team, even from the Germany's second best league, is an accomplishment.


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
CALGARY DINOS 2

Links:
|> [Alberta Twitter] : [Calgary Twitter]
|> [Alberta Site] : [Calgary Site]
|> [CW Schedule/Results]

All I have on this game is the score from the Twitter pages. When you read there might just be something posted of substance. Also, if you check the above CW link you might get a link to "Stats/Quick Facts" which is now up for the Monkeys' games against Augustana, for both Game 1 and Game 2 of that series.

The Evil Monkeys are off to a 4-0 start at a time when most teams have yet to play a game. They are no doubt serious about putting their best foot forward when they host the Bisons on September 28th to start the season. It is pretty clear that Augustana were not much opposition. According to the aforementioned links, the Monkeys outshot them 49-23 and 48-9. In fact, Augustana had no shots at all in the 3rd period of game 2. Will SAIT provide better opposition?

NEXT UP:

Sept 12
Calgary at Mount Royal

Sept 14
Briercrest at Regina
SAIT at Alberta
Manitoba v Saskatchewan (Regina Tournament)
Lethbridge at Mount Royal
UOIT at Nipissing
RMC at McGill

Sept 15
Manitoba at Regina (Regina Tournament)
Calgary at Lethbridge
Alberta at SAIT
Guelph at Nipissing
Laurier at Ryerson
Queen's v RMC (at Gananoque, Ont.)

Sept 16
Saskatchewan at Regina (Regina Tournament)

There was one mid-week game and a smattering of other news items. First, the game, then the news:


CALGARY DINOS 4
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3

Links:
|> [CW Schedule/Results]
|> [Calgary Site] : [Mount Royal Site]
|> [Calgary Twitter]

The CW schedule page had Mount Royal winning, but not so at the other links. Check back for a link to a summary at the CW schedule page. One site or the other may even post a game story as you read this.

The Bison roster page has now added Del Cowan. Still no links for Ian Duval, Darren Bestland, Tyler Schmidt, or Mark Friesen. The U of M have also added a walk-of-fame outside the IGAC and Max Bell, with a statue for each team:


There is a bit of news coming from UBC's first opponent, namely the SFU Clan. The Clan started with a loss to the Coquitlam Express of the BCJHL. The game story did not give the score. They also ran a ra-ra story for their series with UBC. This weekend, however, UBC is the only CW team without an exhibition game.

The Laurentian Voyageurs announced their coaches for the team that will begin play a year from now.

A familiar face will be at the helm of the men’s varsity team for Laurentian. Craig Duncanson was head coach of the university’s men’s varsity team from 1997-99, following his own professional career as a player from 1985-1997. Duncanson was a first-round draft pick in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, and went on to play five seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. Duncanson later played with the Winnipeg Jets, and the New York Rangers, along with stints in the AHL and the IHL over the course of his career.

Duncanson also has a long resumé of coaching and development assignments. Most recently, he has served as Head Coach of the OHL’s Under 16 Development Program, Associate Coach of the Sudbury Wolves Minor Midgets, and an evaluator in the Hockey Canada Under 17 Program.

Sept. 14: LeagueStat Starts



The Daily Schedule and Scores LeagueStat page is up and running as of Friday, September 14th for the tournament at Regina. The games hosted by Mount Royal and Alberta are not on as of yet. The game to be hosted by Calgary next Wednesday is also listed.

The LeagueStat Bison Roster page lists 15 players, the only new recruit listed being Tyler Feakes. The returnees listed at LeagueStat, but not at the Bison Roster Page, are Ian Duval and Darren Bestland. The pages combine for a listing of 27 players.

There are 25 players listed on each of the LeagueStat Huskies Roster and LeagueStat Cougars Roster pages, including 6 new recruits for Sask and 8 for Regina.

THE PUCK HAS DROPPED IN BANJOLAND!


MANITOBA BISONS 2
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 5

Links:
|> [LS Summary] : [CW Schedule/Results/Links]
|> [Manitoba Site] : [Sask. Site]
|> [Manitoba Twitter] : [Sask. Twitter]

As the pre-season gets underway for the Bisons, and for lots of the CIS, I thought I'd bring out some retro logos. We'll get the real deal when the puck drops for real.

The Bisons gave up 3 power play goals in a penalty-filled game. There were 65 minutes of penalties in 60 minutes of play. Blair Macaulay scored both Bison goals. Jesse Deckert played goal for two periods before Joe Caligiuri played the 3rd in the net.

The Bisons did not do much for two periods but then amassed 15 shots on the Mutts in the 3rd. Don't worry. The worst games the Bisons played last year were in pre-season.

The Bison line-up was something like this:

Goal:
35 Jesse Deckert - 1 Joe Caligiuri

Defencemen
24 Travis Bobbee - 4 Jeremy Schappert
2 Dane Crowley - 22 Darren Bestland
20 Brandon Lockerby - 6 Brock Sutherland
5 Lee Christensen

Forwards
23 Tyler Dittmer - 19 Ian Duval - 26 Blair Macaulay
9 Matthew Lowry - 10 Brendan Rowinski - 25 Paul Ciarelli
12 Austin Lauder - 18 Dylan Kelly - 11 James Henry
14 Nathan Green - 27 Tyler Feakes - 29 Luke Cain

Scratches:
F: Del Cowan - Jesse Paradis - Craig Scott - Brett Chartier
D: Blair Osiowy
G: Deven Dubyk

In camp?
Jeff Borse - Tyler Schmidt - Mark Friesen

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD:


BRIERCREST CLIPPERS 0
REGINA COUGARS 13

Links:
|> [LS Summary]
|> [Regina Site] : [Briercrest Site]
|> [Regina Twitter]

This was a big-time blowout. Briercrest are normally a bottom-ranked ACAC team and usually don't do well against CIS teams. But this was beyond bad. Regina outshot them 59-7, including 21-0 in the 1st period. This was not part of the Regina tournament. Briercrest was just in town for a one-off, and that's probably a good thing.


SAIT TROJANS 2
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 6

Links:
|> [Alberta Site] : [SAIT Site]
|> [Alberta Twitter]

Another blowout of an ACAC team. All I have is the score, obtained from the U of A Twitter link.


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 2
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
(in overtime)

Links:
|> [Mount Royal Site] : [Lethbridge Site]
|> [Mount Royal Twitter] : [Lethbridge Twitter]
|> [U of L Recruiting announcement]

First, the recruits announced by the H0rny Ones were all forwards:
Chase Schaber (Kamloops Blazers - WHL)
Cody Chikie (Kelowna Rockets - WHL)
Killian Hutt (Fort McMurray Oil Barons - AJHL)
Taylor Fraser (Spruce Grove Saints - AJHL)

As for the game, not even Twitter was giving updates. All I have is the score posted on the schedule/results page.

OUT EAST:

RMC 1 McGill 5 : [LS Summary]
UOIT 3 Nipissing 5 : [NU Site]

UP NEXT:

Sept 15
Manitoba at Regina : 3:30 CDT : [LS Live Updates]
Calgary at Lethbridge
Alberta at SAIT
Guelph at Nipissing
Laurier at Ryerson
Queen's v RMC (at Gananoque, Ont.)

Sept 16
Saskatchewan at Regina